Friday, October 11, 2013

Ladies' Weekend

It's been a long while since Erin had visited San Francisco and Napa, so off we trekked for her October break. Our weekend began departing Phoenix on USAirways (NEVER again if I can help it!) and into San Jose. Erin was to run the Rock & Roll 1/2 Marathon but she had a vicious cold. Not to worry - we made the most of our day there visiting their art museum, the gorgeous St. Joseph Cathedral, and a luscious dinner at Il Fornaio. Service and food here was impeccable so if you're ever visiting San Jose (or one of their other locations) stop in and sample some of their uber-yummy pasta dishes. They have a website and you can find it at www.ilfornaio.com to check out the goods. We stayed at the San Jose downtown Marriott (www.marriott.com) and enjoyed the hotel itself. The location is smack in the middle of downtown - both good and bad I'd say.

We headed out to San Francisco early the next day, driving through Stanford to catch a peek at the gorgeous campus. It's historic mission style is so Californian -welcoming and brimming with diversity. Hunger consumed us and not much was open on a Sunday morning but we luckily found breakfast at Coupa CafĂ© and it was unbelievably delicious. My smoked salmon crepe was sweet and salty, and Erin's breakfast arapa was perfection. But our morning beverages - hers a sweet hot chai and mine a soy hot chocolate  were probably the best we've ever had. How they put those two lovely drinks together in such a delightful way - mysterious to me and I drink a LOT of hot cocoa. They have several locations so check them out at www.coupacafe.com.



Next stop - San Francisco. The city by the bay is every bit as lovely and decadent and down-trodden as it has been for years. So much history and good food and cable cars and the Haight and all that. The Samovar Tea Lounge (www.samovarlife.com) provided us with another excellent lunch and perfectly brewed tea. This location is downtown in Yerba Buena Gardens just around the corner from the Marriott where we stayed. Truly lovely place that is well worth your time. We hiked up and down and up again to Coit Tower and then on down to Fisherman's Wharf. No trip to San Francisco would be complete with visiting the sea lions, riding the cable cars, and wandering through Golden Gate Park. We did it all.




And on to Napa! We stayed at the Best Western Elm House Inn (www.bestwestern.com) in downtown Napa this time and it was charming. The rooms were clean and comfortable, the innkeepers were welcoming, and the breakfast buffet with all the oatmeal toppings was scrumptious.
Erin and I visited several wineries the next day after a quick stop into Bouchon Bakery for goodies. Bouchon is in Yountville, right on the main drag - you can't miss it and you shouldn't! Andretti Winery offers a one-hour tour and reservations are not required. How nice is that? Great information and the wines are good. Not great, but good. If you're lucky maybe you'll see the great Mario, himself. We truly enjoyed Trefethen Winery with its historic building, oversized leather furniture, and welcoming attitude. We loved loved loved the wines here and got a list of some of the best to purchase at home. I'd have bought some directly but my wine fridges are packed right now. Grgch Hills followed next and we had the best time here stomping grapes in the courtyard. I can cross that off my bucket list - thank you Lucy!!


Great people, great Chardonnay. We stopped into Flora Springs and enjoyed several different varietals and could have continued if we didn't have one more stop to make. Over to V. Sattui for a few sips of their affordable vintages and some great deli snacks.

Lastly - the Berkeley Marina Doubletree Inn (www.doubletreeberkeleymarina.com)  where we snagged a room with a sunset view and dinner in their hotel restaurant. Good food, good service, nice room and a good night's sleep.

Do you know fried chicken and waffles? We do and our hometown favorite is Lolo's Chicken and Waffles right here in Phoenix (www.loloschickenandwaffles.com.) We're always on the look out to see if anybody can beat them and so far no one can. Not Roscoe's in Long Beach (www.roscoeschickenandwaffles.com) and not Home of Chicken and Waffles in Oakland (www.homeofchickenandwaffles.com.) The chicken was fried crispy with tender juicy insides; the waffles were crisp; the mac and cheese was cheesy; and the yams were ... cold. Hmm. If you didn't know Lolo's or Roscoe's you'd probably think you had died and gone to heaven. But we know Lolo's and nothing compares. Check them out for yourselves - try the grits and green beans and such. You'll have a very happy tummy.

Last point for me - USAirways has the worst customer relations of any airline I fly. I will avoid them at all costs in the future. Enough said.

Next up - Karen's 50th birthday weekend aboard Sapphire Princess
... deep breath ...
:) Deb

Onboard the Island Princess

We love Alaska, and if you have read any of my previous posts you know we love cruising too. September weather can be dicey up north but off we trudged with four other couples to enjoy the wonders of Alaska aboard Island Princess.

We book online directly with Princess by calling them or using the website at www.princess.com. I like being in charge of my booking and reservations but I know lots of people who use travel agents or AAA for their bookings. Do whatever makes you happy - or write me and I'll help you out.

But go!!! Alaska is absolutely gorgeous and not to be missed. Our ports of call were Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan. The lovely thing about a cruise is that you can do as little or as much as you'd like.

In Juneau we took a stroll through downtown and sampled salmon at TAKU while the guys took an excursion to Alaskan Brewing Company. Love their pumpkin porter! Juneau is an easy walk-about and the van to the brewery leaves their shop right on the main drag. Easy-breezy. There are some really lovely shops downtown and some cruise-owned jewelry businesses as well. We tend to shop local while in port and really love a classy little bookstore at the edge of town. I saw that it's for sale and it would be a shame if another wonderful owner didn't scoop it up. My friend introduced me to some Polish Pottery in one of the little shops and now I'm searching it out everywhere I go. You might want to as well - it's lovely. Here's a little pic of downtown Juneau.


There are some great ship's excursions in Juneau - whale watching, jeep tours, bike trips, even a jaunt up the hill on the Mt. Roberts Tramway. You can choose whatever makes your heart sing. We did.

Our next stop was Skagway where we opted to do the narrow gauge train. We've never done that before and it's something I've really wanted to do. The ride was absolutely beautiful (under cloudy skies) and we enjoyed the barbecue served at Carcross Station. This all-day excursion was well worth it for us and I highly recommend the trip.



You see the cutest things along the way...



Our stop in Ketchikan took us on a great jaunt aboard Zodiac inflatables. Oh-My-Gosh. Ripping cold water, 18 foot tidal changes, and a zippy engine - all I can say is wow!! We raced and bounced and hung on for dear life in our three-man craft with Jeff doing the navigating. Suited up in fisherman gear, we must have been a sight - no pics though sorry. This was probably the most fun ever on a cruise excursion. Of course we stopped into Ketchikandies too for a some of their dark chocolate covered Oreos. Can't pass them up.

The best sea day is the course through Glacier Bay. Two of the loveliest glaciers were on view for us and the crackling and calving we saw highlighted our entire experience.



Island Princess was a terrific vehicle to navigate the roughest waters we have ever encountered in Alaska. Our captain informed us that we'd have 24 hours of high winds and boy did we feel it. The ship shuddered and shook but we never let that kind of thing get in the way of our fun. The food was delectable, the service was gracious, and the entertainment was ... well... average. No worries because the martinis were ice cold and intoxicating. I wouldn't hesitate to travel onboard a Princess ship again and I wouldn't hesitate to travel to Alaska again. A gorgeous way to celebrate my 20th cruise!

... Life is Good - Spread Good Vibes ...
:) Deb

Disneyland 1/2 Marathon

My sweet Erin has decided to run a few 1/2 marathons this year and I'm along for the ride. Literally. I get up early and watch her joyously take off for a lively 13.5 mile run. Then I power walk to a few spots along the way so I can witness her cross various mile markers. SO MUCH FUN! The latest escapade happened at Disneyland and while she ran the 1/2, I ran the 5K. Well... I almost ran. But I finished and bettered my time from February at the Princess 5K in Walt Disney World. Erin received two medals as she completed her 'Round the World Journey this year.

 
 
This visit was kind of a treat for us as we stayed at the Disneyland Hotel for the very first time ever. The convenience of staying on property is phenomenal and the lodging was quite good. It's Disney, for goodness' sakes. Our favorite thing about the hotel was bedtime when we pushed a little button near the desk lamp and the headboard lit up with fireworks and played "When You Wish Upon a Star." What a lovely way to say good night.
 

It's kinda hard to tell from this pic but believe me, it's adorable. Prices were pretty fair at the Disneyland Hotel for Labor Day Weekend. The food at the onsite quick serve was average, but Downtown Disney is right there for your pleasure. We loved the choices and shared breakfast at La Brea Bakery, and dinner at Tortilla Joe's. Both were delicious. I wouldn't hesitate to come back and stay right on property again. If I had a bundle of $$$ though, I'd probably try the Grand Californian. Maybe next time....


... Deb
May the Mouse be with you!